The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-04-27
MISCELLANEOUS.


Fremont's "Great American Desert" was,
in 1860, considered almost, If not entirely,
an uninhsbitable country. Nothing but
butfaloes could exist here. To-day, part of
it is the best land in Kansas. The early
settlers in this far west met with many dis
couragements; drouths, grasshoppers and
hot winds made life a burden. Some went
back to live with "wife's folks" and some
stayed. Those who remained reaped the
harvest of perseverance.
Since last wrote, have driven over
part of the country and have seen 30 many
evidences of prosperity, that have been led
to believe that the bankers who loaned their
money at from twelve to twenty-four per
cent interest, TO the poor sufferers, have
really been benefit after all.
Even our most western counties are rapid
ly filling up and as, day after day, emigrant
trains pass through our little city, 1t Ii not
difficult to believe that Kansas Is destined to
be one of the greatest of commemorative; as
Kansasites proudly boast, 400 miles long, 200
miles wide and thousands of miles deep.
have been here nine months, aud rain
has been denied us since September, unless
i might except one or two small showers.
There was not enough winters snow to help
out and it began to be very dry. Old settlers
shook their heads and said 1t acted like the
springs of 81 and '82. "Tender feet" began
to grow faint hearted and the generality of
farmers proclaimed great damage to crops to
be already apparent. During the spring the
winds have blown from all points of the COM
pass with varying strength. Last week they
blew harder than ever Saturday was one
of the worst days people have seen out here.
The wind was southerly and dust blew in
great clouds, making it impossible. more
half the time, to See across the public square,
around which our business houses are placed.
But about five o'clock the clouds thickened.
and at $50 down came the welcome rain.
1t was new thing to me to stand out in
front of the store and listen to the shouts
and hurrahs, from two score or more of
throats, around the square, 1t rains Hey!
1t rains" Everyone laughed and every
one felt good. Moved by the general i'm
pulse, shouted too. l never knew l could
welcome rain 80 gladly before.
Sunday and Monday were fair days, but
Tuesday brought drenching rain, and the
crops of northwestern Kansas for 1887 are
almost an assured fact.
Prairie fires have been abundant during
the dry weather, and many poor farmer
has lost his hay, crops of all kinds, barns
and houses. They burn with fearful rapidity.
No running horse can out-speed them. AS
an example,, fire started Saturday near
Millbrook, i'll Graham county, and burned to
Logan, in Phillips county, in a few hours.
1t covered strip thirty-fve miles long and
twenty-five miles wide. Houses, barns, cat
tie, horses, almost everything was swept
away before it, A travelling man told me
he saw three children burned to death-a
charred mass of flesh and bones. The Oldest
of these was nine years old. 1t is believed
other lives were lost in that fire and several
have been lost in smaller fires. l have only
seen few small blazes near town. One
desecrated our graveyard, burning fences
and shrubbery and damaging the stones.
Shrubbery is of no small account here, where
all trees have to be cultivated with extreme
care.
Our spring elections are over. Kansas
experimental this year. 1t is great state
for new ideas Some are successful, others
are not; our ladies, God bless 'em," voted
at municipal elections. We had a stormy
fight here. A few ladies met at the Method
list church and nominated one ticket; think
of caucus in church. Does it not seem
strangely. union caucus nominated q cti-
zens' ticket and the knights of labor, who
try to care for the welfare of the public out
here, put up ticket of their own. Here
were three tickets. From about 400 votes
cast, 1877 were by ladies. 1t was quite a sight
to see SO orderly crowd of voters.
The city bus carried ladies for the Ladies'
Ticket" and the X. of l.. Ticket" Not
wishing to see the Citizens Ticket" defeat
ed, Miss Weaver, one of our brightest young
ladies, procured her fathers team and two
seated buggy, and the manner in which she
brought in lady voters for the good cause
was a sight. The citizens ticket was elected
by large majority. The mayor elect WAS
carried home on a cellar door, borne by the
victorious and hilarious crowd. The band
serenaded him and moved from there to Miss
Weavers, our best worker, and gave her a
great turn out.
If there are two things miss more than
others out here, they are the trees and birds
1t is almost painful sometimes, this lack of
feathered songsters. l knew when / had
been here some six weeks that something
was wanting somewhere, but l could not
place it until an acquaintance spoke of there
being no birds. He made me discover the
vacancy at once.
We do not, however, always want for
pleasures here, and the one am anticipating
just now is an all day and night visit with
John Bryar, whom 1 expect tomorrow. You
all know John. When honest people shall
have long been abed, John and will still be
chattering like two girls-full of reminis-
cences of dear old Paw Paw and its surround.
ing country. +. s. WELLINGTON.